Preparation for Chang'e-5 2017 launch as scheduled

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Preparation for the 2017 launch of China's lunar probe Chang'e-5 is going smoothly as planned, a leading scientist of the program Ye Peijian told Xinhua on Saturday.

Chang'e-5, as an important part of China's third-phase lunar program, is expected to bring back a moon rock sample to earth, a move hailed by Ye as "a historic moment" for China.

The Chang'e-3 lunar probe soft-landed on the Moon on Dec. 14, with the country's first moon rover Yutu (Jade Rabbit) aboard. But Yutu has experienced a mechanical control abnormality, and scientists are still organizing repairs.